1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic package assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical devices are typically housed in a protective plastic or ceramic package. The package has leads which can be soldered to a printed circuit board to electrically couple the electrical device to the board. A typical ceramic package includes a lid that is attached and sealed to a housing. Before the lid is attached to the housing, the package and electrical device are tested to detect any defects in the package or device. Some packages contain multiple electrical devices so that if one device is defective the whole package must be replaced or repaired. It would be desirable to have an electronic package that physically separates some of the electrical devices, so that the devices can be individually tested and repaired.
The electrical devices generate heat which must be removed from the package. Mounting additional devices into the package typically increases the heat density of a package and the junction temperature of the devices. The heat density can be reduced by increasing the size of the package and separating the devices. Separating the devices increases the length of the interconnecting wires and the impedance between the devices. High impedance is typically undesirable, particularly for high speed circuits. Enlarging the housing increases the footprint of the package and the size of the board. It would therefore be desirable to have a multichip package that is thermally efficient and has desirable electrical characteristics.